In my tutor sessions, I have noticed a few things so far that seem to be going very well. First, I go over the prompt with the student. I’ve found that it is helpful for them to refresh their memory and make sure they are still following the guidelines of the prompt. It also helps me to understand more of what they are writing about. After we go over the prompt, I have the student read their paper to me, or what they have completed so far. This helps to pick out the sentences or areas that sound a bit awkward. It ultimately helps me to get a feel for the paper and make note of where to come back to. For the most part, I haven’t been met with any challenges. Students are willing to read their paper to me without struggle, which I fully appreciate. Reading my work out loud to someone else, especially someone I am not fully comfortable with has always been a struggle for me. This dual start of our meeting has been most effective for me in the moment.
In my class-sessions, I found it to be more successful if I participate. For example, I take part in the class free-write at the start of class. After the free-write, we have a class discussion about what we wrote about and why we chose to write it. I’ve found that being a part of these discussions help students to recognize me as a part of their class. It also helps them to feel a bit more familiar and comfortable with me, which ultimately makes them feel more comfortable coming to see me for help.
